Page 37 of The Devil of Hollywood

Elec laughed.

“He doesn’t trust this place. Not because of you. He knows things we don’t. If he refuses to come, there’s a good reason. My guess…” Elec glanced to the floor length windows. “The Unavowed knows you’re here. I’m sure there’s talk all over the underground. There may even be retaliation. Each country has their Gardens, their Whitlock, or their Order. We’re the US. We’re the enemy, Drayton, and we need to be prepared for anything. Let’s call the men and head down. They’ll follow behind us and be ready.”

I nodded, texting Quinton and sliding on my jacket. Silence followed us as we headed out. My cousin and another man loaded onto the elevator with us as the rest of the men took the cart next to ours so they could get the vehicle. By the time we got downstairs, Elec’s phone went off, and he gestured towards the main doors. An SUV appeared, followed by ours. Quinton climbed in the very back with another man as Elec and I took our place in the luxurious captain chairs on each side. There was a driver and another guard in the front but no Bram Whitlock.

“If The Unavowed knows I’m here, is this safe?”

Elec peered up from his phone. “As safe as we’re going to get. The trip won’t be long.”

And it wasn’t.

Lights faded behind as we weaved through and made it to a private dock. From there, we took a boat into the darkness. Lights in the distance came into view and within minutes we were pulling up to a massive yacht. I was barely a few steps onboard when we were waved to follow. We passed a pool and a large bar, heading through a back door that led to more halls and rooms. When we finally entered the luxurious living space, I almost couldn’t believe who I was staring at. How long had it been since I’d seen Bram? Ten years? Fifteen? Too long.

“Drayton Pennington.” Dark hair was combed back, and his blue eyes stood out against his naturally tanned skin. A grin pulled back his full lips as he headed over, holding out his hand to me. At almost four inches over six feet, he loomed a little taller than both me and Elec, but not by much. Where he had height, both me and Elec had size. It hadn’t always been the case with Elec. Lately, he seemed to live to get stronger.

“Bram. It’s good to see you. I can’t thank you enough for coming.”

“Of course.” He glanced to Elec, the side of his mouth pulling back. “Don’t look so gloomy, cousin. We’ll get her back.”

Elec didn’t speak. His face got harder, only to soften as the door opened and a pale, dark-haired woman came through. Her hair was a few inches past her shoulders, and the rounding of her stomach couldn’t be mistaken as she beamed a smile at us through her approach.

“Everyone, this is my wife, Everleigh. Everleigh, you know Elec. This is Drayton.”

“Yes.” She shook my hand, her light blue eyes sparkling as she quickly turned, moving to shake Elec’s. “I won’t impose. I’m only here for my book,” she said, gesturing to a white leather sofa in the distance.

“You look.” Elec’s head cocked to the side. “You should be—You’re bigger than you should be. You— I’m sorry.” His hand lifted in apology.

“Don’t be sorry.” Everleigh’s voice softened. “You never have to be sorry, Elec. Not after what you did for us.”

“Did?”

My confusion was ignored as Elec’s eyes lowered.

“I really didn’t do anything.”

“Not true.” Everleigh grabbed his hand, lifting it to her stomach. Elec’s face flashed with so many emotions as his eyes lowered from her face to the slight rounding. “You did this. You didn’t have to, but you sent that doctor our way. And for that, and for her, I’m appreciative.”

“Her?” His brow creased. “You conceived the first try? I was told you didn’t.”

“I may have threatened some people to keep them quiet.”

Elec smiled, looking from her to Bram and back to her.

“Smart.” Elec bit his bottom lip, nodding. “This is fantastic. A girl—Congratulations. To both of you.” He forced his gaze to Bram as more emotions had him drawing his hand back from her stomach.

“Thank you. Really, thank you,” Everleigh stressed. “I wasn’t hopeful, and when I found out you sent Dr. Giles our way, I was suspicious but… you were trying to help, and I’m grateful for that—to you. I should go.”

Everleigh paused, her brows narrowing as her gaze came to me. “I’ve done excessive research into The Order of the Unavowed. If Marian is being kept as a slave with the others, she’s going to need you when you get her free. Being a slave in that place will break you, Mr. Pennington. Marian is not safe in a cell. Especially there. I fear the guards may be just as bad as the Masters. They don’t have precautions like they do at The Gardens.” She looked between Elec and Bram but came back to me. I could see Elec watching her cautiously at the mention of The Gardens. “The guards may represent protection, but they protect nobody but the Masters. The slaves are free game, and they usually pay a price most people will never face. Assault of any kind can break a person. Multiple assaults combined with torture will cause a person to start breaking themselves. How you handle your chosen from here on out will mold how her mind copes with this. Be careful, Mr. Pennington. We all make mistakes. Not all of us are given the chance to fix them. I know your past but provide grace. Even if only a little. Otherwise, there may be no coming back for her.”

Marian

Three days. I had been in this hell for three damn days. Sure, I slept through the first one, but yesterday when I’d expected to be taken to see Penny and The Unavowed, I wasn’t. Another guard whispered something to David, and the moment I was finished with my medical appointment, they silently rushed me back to my room. I hadn’t even gotten branded, not that I was complaining about that. But David had never returned. Aside from a metal cup of water that was empty by that night, I wasn’t even brought lunch, dinner, or breakfast this morning. Was it morning? I was just here… starving… thirsty… waiting. Was anyone even coming back? What about the other guard? Surely, with the size of this place, they’d have more people dedicated to these rooms. The halls were endless, the doors… uncountable.

“Hello?”

My voice echoed around my cold room. I hugged the itchy blanket around my shoulders walking the length of the damp floor with my bare feet, avoiding the constant dripping that was driving me mad. The occasional screams would sound, but if anyone could hear me call out, they weren’t answering.

“Hello? David?”